My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Midnight Hour!

My rating is 3.5 Stars

Set in 1965, theatrical impresario Bert Billington is found dead in his home. When the postmortem reveals that he was poisoned, suspicion falls on his wife, eccentric ex-Music Hall star Verity Malone. Frustrated by the police response to Bert's death and determined to prove her innocence, Verity calls in private detective duo Emma Holmes and Sam Collins.

There was quite the cast of characters in The Midnight Hour but, hands down, my very favorites were Emma Holmes Stephens and WDC Meg Connolly. The descriptions of what it was like working in variety (or vaudeville, as we say on this side of the pond) in the early days sounded utterly grueling! For that matter, being a female police officer in the 1960s sounded pretty grueling, as well! (Can anyone say discrimination, silent contempt, and double standards??)

I enjoyed the mystery of the story very much but the identity of the murderer was a wee bit of a disappointment to me. All in all, it was a fun, light read!

A sedately paced murder mystery set in England of the 1960s against the backdrop of theatrical professionals. Two female private detectives work with and in competition with the local police to discover who did it.

I'm a fan of the Ruth Galloway series because I like the combination of a well-plotted mystery and the unique forensic archeology background. The mystery aspect of The Midnight Hour was not particularly disappointing, but I found it was not enough to make for a compelling read without anything else to recommend it. I realized after starting that this is the 6th book in a series. Perhaps if I had been more invested in the characters, I would have been more engaged. That being said, I did not find starting mid-series confusing and did enjoy the two female sleuth's efforts to push back about the sexism of their time, and the Chief's expansion on traditional gender roles.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in return for a fair review.

I have read every one of Elly Griffiths' books. I am especially fond of the Ruth Galloway series. Ruth is like every woman I know--except for the solving crimes part. I also enjoy the Magic Man series, now relabeled Brighton Mysteries. I enjoyed "The Midnight Hour" enough that I stayed up late to finish reading it. I love that Griffiths creates such strong women characters. These women are not perfect, but they are smart and intuitive, which are traits that many of my friends share. I definitely recommend this newest book in the Brighton Mysteries.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. The review here is my own endorsement of this book..

Another excellent read in the Brighton Mysteries by Elly Griffiths.The characters just get better with each new book and the story lines are very entertaining..It will be interesting to catch up with Max and the gang in the book.This is a very entertaining book,and I would highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved the latest addition to this series. Characters you are familiar with and some new additions make for the perfect who dunnit. A great twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

Disclaimer: I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A famous show business producer is murdered at home, and his film-star widow is a suspect. She calls upon an all-female private detective agency, to ensure a fair investigation. Emma Holmes and Sam Collins at various moments compete or cooperate with the police officers on the case. Once again, Elly Griffiths weaves a complicated mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end

One of my favorite authors but I do prefer her other series. I do recommend this book. Good characters and plot line.

A Tremendous Cast….
A tremendous cast lead this new addition to The Brighton Mysteries in book six of the series. A man lies dead in a retirement home and his ex-music star wife, Verity Malone, is suspected of poisoning him. When Verity becomes disillusioned with the police investigation, and with suspicion falling firmly on herself, Verity calls in newly formed ladies private eye duo Emma and Sam. It’s their first real case and they are determined to succeed even if it mean endangering themselves. Written with the usual blend of flair, charm and sharp eye this is a superb addition to this wonderful, long running series. Could happily be read as a standalone although more enjoyment is to be had in reading from the start of the series.

I love how this series has evolved from the Magic Men into the women who had been on the periphery of the earlier stories. In fact, the series title has changed from "A Magic Men Mystery" to "The Brighton Mysteries." I have enjoyed all the books in the series, including this latest one.

It is years later now in the series. The original magic man - magician Max Mephisto - is married to a Hollywood star and a film star in his own right. He has moved back to England for a film and is a minor but important figure in this story. His former partner in the past stories is the other "magic man', Inspector Stephens. Stephens has married his police colleague PI Emma Holmes. Emma is now the mother of three and, after missing her job for years, has now started an investigative service with her friend journalist Samantha Collins.

This book is about a fascinating theatrical case they take on. Verity Kent is a long retired star of the music halls, and had an affair with Max Mephisto in his early magician days. Verity's husband is found poisoned in her home, and she is under suspicion of the death. The whole cast of characters in this story is fascinating. Griffiths' writing and plotting are excellent, as usual. Fans will enjoy this case with Emma and Sam in starring roles. This is a must-read in the series. Kudos for Elly Griffiths for building a satisfying series that never gets stale. Highly recommended!

I lived this mystery, it had a real Agatha Christie feel to it. The women in the book were strong characters, taking no nonsense from the men. Very refreshing.

Having read The Postscript Murders, I was excited to have the opportunity to read another great who-dunnit by Elly Griffths. This one will keep you guessing and rethinking after every clue is revealed. Did she or didn’t she poison her husband, the Great Bert Billington? Everything changes and anything can happen when you enter the world of theater and magic.

It is 1965. Emma Holmes, a private detective and former WDC cop, teams up with Sam Collins, local journalist to solve the murder of theatre impresario Bert Billington found murdered in his own home. Poisoned. So many possible suspects who didn’t care for him, so many motives for revenge of people he wronged. Verity Malone, Bert’s wife and former Music Hall star, is accused by her youngest son so she hires Emma and Sam to investigate while the Brighton police run an investigation of their own. Emma soon works with WDC Meg Connolly of the Brighton police who is enamored with the legendary Emma as the first woman detective, unheard of in a man’s world. Through their work, they discover Bert’s past indiscretions with women that come to light leading to many possibilities. Then there is another murder, could they be linked?

I enjoyed this cozy little mystery. As the author took the reader back and forth between Emma’s investigation and the official police investigation by Meg, it played out like a soap opera drama where you could hear in your hear…”Dum, da, dum, dum…” To top it off, there was the humor that made it almost like a vaudevillian act. So many suspects came to light with many people who positively were not truthful or had underlying secrets, which made it thoroughly enjoyable. Even at the end, and no spoilers here, it kept you guessing and unsure of yourself and your own ability as a super sleuth.

Many thanks to #netgalley #ellygriffths #themidnighthour for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a huge fan of Elly Griffiths, I’m happy to say this latest book in the Brighton series.
When a famous, aging theater producer who was also a well known womanizer dies from rat poison both the police and 2 female private detectives become involved. I loved seeing Emma using her intelligence and instincts as a PI, and how she balances that with being married to the Police Superintendent. She was introduced as a policewoman earlier in the series, but as was the custom of the times, she had to quit the job when she married. Meg Connolly, a new character, is a young policewoman in a world where that’s still not considered proper by many of her coworkers. The 1960’s and the rise of feminism, the Beatles, hippies and mini skirts are well written and add to the story.
The focus of the series, from the Magic Men who had worked together in World War II, to the 1960’s and the women who solved the case, has been a fun evolution through the 6 books.
I was able to read an ARC through MetGalley and the publisher, and look forward to more.

A tad disappointed in this book as I usually enjoy other works by Elly Griffiths. Maybe it was the time period-maybe it was the characters but it seemed hastily written and well, almost forced. The book didn’t flow for me.

I love Elly Griffiths and have read everything she has written aside from the magic men series. I am not sure why I did not pick the magic man series up before but it could be because I didn't associate the series title name with the mystery genre. But I was wrong and I stand corrected.

I loved reading the midnight hour, even thought I had not read any other books in the series. The mystery is a whodunnit and revolves around the family Billingtons. The patriarch of the family is found dead by his youngest son and he proclaims that his mother - Verity - committed the murder. Verity hires female detectives - Holmes and Collins - to find out the truth.

The police suspects Verity and to make matters murkier, Holmes' husband is the Super of the police.

I thought it was a cozy mystery to read which I what I have come to expect from Griffiths. I love reading her series on Ruth Galloway and her newish series on DI Harbinder Kaur. Griffiths develops all her characters distinctly and gives them all unique characteristics as opposed to making caricatures of them.

I am going go find all the books in the series and read them all as well.

This is another successful book in this series. While I didn't like it as much as previous books it was still good and a fun read.

The Brighton police force is on the hunt for another killer, but this time they have some competition—a newly formed all-women’s private eye firm, led by none other than the police chief’s wife, Emma. This probably my all time favorite author and this series is just outstanding. The characters are all fun and interesting and the plots themselves are complex and really interesting. Emma is a woman ahead of her time and it has been fun to watch her grow as a person over each entry in this series. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I haven’t read the previous novels in this series and, while this isn’t essential, I think it would have been helpful as many if the characters clearly have history with each other. Bert Billington ha been poisoned and the police and the new detective team of Emma and Sam are trying to find the culprit. There are some pretty distasteful characters, including the deceased. I enjoyed the ride but found the actual murderer a bit of a disappointment, This was more of a light read than her Ruth Galloway series. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

this is the sixth book in a series and so you're supposed to know things already because there are stuff referenced that had happened before. that didn't bother me as much but i just felt the story was missing something, a fun read nonetheless.

Elly Griffiths never fails to entrance the reader. Her characters come to life and I become immersed in their lives.

An aged Lothario is found dead, rat poison having laid him low. It turns out that he had quite a checkered past, taking advantage of women throughout his career in show business. Did his wife finally snap? The old crew - and some new blood, too - is back together to solve the mystery. Fans of the series will enjoy the continuation of the stories of Max and Edgar.